OTL: A Deeper Look at Ravens UDFAs

Rookie minicamp is in the books, and the first look at the new crop of Ravens did just enough to get football back on the brain. Our guy Chris broke down some of the conversation around the rookies yesterday, and you can hear the guys on The Lounge recap their observations from this past week here.

Check out the latest Lounge episode for rookie minicamp takeaways, from the 2024 draft class to the undrafted rookies.

: https://t.co/phHaPUz0dT pic.twitter.com/oYiVzeiGHF

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 6, 2024

At this point, you’ve likely heard quite a bit about the Draft Class, so let’s have a deeper conversation about the other guys. No, not the Will Ferrell-Mark Wahlberg buddy cop movie, the OTHER other guys: the UDFA group.

5 undrafted rookies with the best chances to make the Ravens 2024 rosterhttps://t.co/Seqjb6SvwW

— Baltimore Beatdown (@BmoreBeatdown) May 5, 2024

We’re up to 20 UDFAs on our Ravens trackerhttps://t.co/Qp14Q77Yyv

— Baltimore Beatdown (@BmoreBeatdown) April 28, 2024

Chris touched on some of these guys as well in yesterday’s piece, and for good reason. Historically, the Ravens have found gems in the UDFA classes through the years, including a few guys currently in the building like Michael Pierce, Pat Ricard, Justin Tucker and DC Zach Orr. Keaton Mitchell was the most recent UDFA to make a splash, and he figures to be a key piece in the offense once he bounces back from injury. Smart money says that at least one member of that group is going to crack the final 53, with others likely competing to join the practice squad. As of right now, who stands the best chance?

Maryland S Beau Brade and Iowa DE Joe Evans were discussed yesterday, and I’d agree that they’re probably the two hottest names from this group. Each of their positions on the roster has question marks with depth, and they both put together impressive Big Ten resumes that show they have the bones to their game. Evans’ pure athleticism and versatility could be the thing that earns him a look, and as The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec noted, some teams even viewed Evans as a two-way player at the NFL level.

Harbaugh said that the Ravens are using Iowa’s Joe Evans right now at OLB and he looks good. But Harbaugh didn’t rule out cross training with Evans. Theres been talk about Evans as a move TE or a FB. “The more you can do,” Harbaugh said

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) May 4, 2024

Brade was largely regarded as a guy likely to be drafted, so even seeing him in this position is surprising. Brade was ranked in the top 200 prospects on PFF’s Big Board, and safety #12 on the Consensus Big Board at NFL Mock Draft Database. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see much activity from him at minicamp…

Harbaugh said Adisa Isaac tweaked his hamstring. He said Beau Brade rolled his ankle.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) May 4, 2024

…but hopefully he’ll get the chance to showcase his skill set as the offseason progresses. The major hallmark of Brade’s defense is his physicality, but a tweaked ankle won’t let him show off his explosiveness until he’s fully recovered.

It’s just as much about these rookies delivering on their potential as it is taking advantage of the existing opportunities. For example, the depth at inside linebacker is precariously thin, with only Chris Board and Josh Ross as veteran options behind Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson. Malik Harrison has been known to rotate inside, but I know I’d feel a whole lot more comfortable if one of the undrafted rookies could put their stamp on the spot.

After a six-year career at Rutgers which saw him develop into a mainstay of the Scarlet Knights’ defense, Deion Jennings is now looking to make it to the NFL.

Here’s what he had to say to @Ruscarletnation about the journey and how Rutgers prepared him:https://t.co/oomWU4PvAB

— Chris Tsakonas (@tsakonas_chris) March 30, 2024

Yvandy Rigby is a LB prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 8.10 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 550 out of 2889 LB from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/1WPqzYvxbS pic.twitter.com/6jDC1DT3bf

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 22, 2024

Former Scarlet Knight Deion Jennings profiles nicely against the pass, and impressive athletic testing makes him an intriguing prospect with his level of college experience. Similarly, Temple’s Yvandy Rigby tested well among ILB prospects in terms of speed and change of direction, and his special teams experience could be his ticket to the final 53.

If I had to guess a dark horse to make it, though, it would be the big man out of Tulsa, OT Darrell Simpson.

The Baltimore #Ravens are signing former Tulsa and Oklahoma offensive tackle Darrell Simpson, a source tells @247Sports.

The 6-foot-6, 345-pound Simpson, a former four-star recruit, was an honorable mention All-AAC selection at Tulsa last season.https://t.co/gUAcjhJ1RD pic.twitter.com/JiwwPGjB0N

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) April 28, 2024

Simpson is certainly a raw product, having transferred away from Oklahoma in 2022 to garner more playing time at Tulsa, but he was ranked as the #12 OT prospect in the country coming out of high school. The 24-year-old’s experience was limited largely to his final year as a grad student with Golden Hurricane football, but he played well enough to start every game at RT. The tipping point for Simpson, though, is that unteachable size. Tulsa Football’s bio has Simpson listed at 6’6” and 345 pounds, but some reports have him as tall as 6’8″. If Simpson can deliver on that top-tier potential from his early playing days, the lack of wear-and-tear from his time at Oklahoma could be a blessing in disguise, allowing him to develop fully healthy with the assistance of one of the best O-line staffs in the league.

If watching the Draft classes around the league develop is a game, watching the UDFA class is the game within the game. These guys are easy to cheer for because of how hard they’ve worked just to be here, and I can’t wait to see who among that crop ends up cracking the roster.

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